3 things we learned as Dortmund drew Real Madrid, 2-2, in a Champions League classic

Sometimes this sport is wonderfully kind to its fans, and this match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund certainly qualified. While it finished 2-2 thanks to a late equalizer from Marco Reus — one that means Dortmund win their Champions League group over Madrid — it was also a match that should be long remembered for its sheer pace, energy, and the incredible fight put up by both teams from first minute to last.

The match was every bit as exciting and open as it promised it could be coming in, with both teams playing fast-paced, wide-open football. Real Madrid definitely got the better of it for long stretches of the match, applying sustained pressure on the Borussia Dortmund goal — especially working against left back Marcel Schmelzer — but excellent performances from Sokratis Papastathopoulos in defense and Roman Weidenfeller in goal kept Madrid largely stymied.

The key word is “largely” because a defensive breakdown just before the half hour mark gave Real Madrid fullback Dani Carvajal a clear run down Dortmund’s left side, and he sent in a note-perfect cross that gave Karim Benzema the easiest of finishes and put Real ahead.

Dortmund didn’t back down from that, though, getting a couple of excellent scoring opportunities before halftime, and coming out swinging hard in the second half. They had two excellent scoring opportunities in the opening minutes of the half, but a poor decision and a moment of staggeringly bad luck saw the score stay at 1-0.

Real Madrid came storming back up the pitch after that, though, because this game just couldn’t slow down or take a break. A series of relentless shots were seen off by Weidenfeller and the rest of the Dortmund defense, but the final clearance didn’t go quite as well as they wanted it to, or apparently thought it did as several defenders seemed to shut off for a moment. When the ball got sent back in by James Rodriguez, it found Benzema’s head, then got introduced to the back of the net to double Madrid’s lead.

Not to be outdone, Dortmund went hammering away at Madrid’s goal again, eager to get themselves back in it after going down two goals. They had to secure at least a draw to stay atop the group, which meant scoring twice while not conceding — a decidedly tricky task against Real Madrid. They got the first of those goals in style when a gorgeous ball over the top from Julian Weigl found Schmelzer in the box, who centered it with ease to give Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang an easy goal.

That goal, somehow, kicked the game into an even higher gear, as if it wasn’t playing at enough of a frenetic pace already. Dortmund made a pair of aggressively attacking substitutions, and played every bit like they were, flying up the pitch trying to create a second goal and forcing Real to play on the counter instead of trying to control the ball. That didn’t bother the Spaniards much — they’re one of the best counter-attacking teams in Europe, after all — and they still had some excellent scoring chances of their own, including forcing a goal line clearance and seeing Cristiano Ronaldo bang a shot off the post.

Back and forth the game went, only slowing at all as the players’ energy waned in the final minutes. Just as it was starting to look like Borussia Dortmund weren’t going to get the goal they needed to top the group, Aubameyang found one last reserve of energy to burst forward with blistering speed past the Real Madrid defense, pulling it back with a cross to find Reus in front of goal to hammer home the equalizer.

It was a stunning moment and a perfect cap to an absolutely phenomenal game. Neither team should be upset about the result -- they both put absolutely everything into this game and that effort showed on the pitch. Real Madrid will be disappointed not to win the group, especially coming in as the defending Champions League winners, but you have to tip your hat to the masterful performance that Dortmund put in all group long, ending in this phenomenal performance at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid: Keylor Navas; Daniel Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Luka Modric (Toni Kroos 63’), Casemiro, James Rodriguez; Lucas Vazquez, Karim Benzema (Alvaro Morata 85’), Cristiano Ronaldo

Goals: Benzema (28’, 52’)

Borussia Dortmund: Roman Weidenfeller; Lukasz Piszczek, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Marc Bartra, Marcel Schmelzer; Christian Pulisic (Emre Mor 61’), Gonzalo Castro (Sebastian Rode 80’), Julian Weigl, Andre Schurrle (Marco Reus 61’); Ousmane Dembele, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Goals: Aubameyang (60’), Reus (88’)

That perhaps seems like an odd thing to say — teams never want to lose, after all — but with both teams locked into spots in the knockout rounds and the way that the groups have been shaking it out (making winning first place slightly less important than in most years), it could have been understandable if these two teams took it a bit easy in this match. But no, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund both came out swinging and looking to do whatever it took to get all three points from this one, and fans were wonderfully rewarded for it.

That opening goal ended as a simple tap-in for Karim Benzema, but the praise belongs to Real Madrid right back Dani Carvajal because goodness was that cross excellent.

Dortmund had made a mistake in leaving Carvajal open to make a run up the right side, and Real punished them ruthlessly for it. Still, Dortmund adjusted well to the play as it developed, and as Marc Bartra came out to try to cut Carvajal off, he positioned himself to try to cut off the narrow cross across the face of goal to meet the run that he’d seen Benzema making. Carvajal didn’t care and bent it around Bartra anyways on an absolutely gorgeously executed cross that gifted his team the lead.

Dortmund being such a young and fast and hungry team leads to a lot of exciting moments, but it also leads to moments of incredible frustration and wasted opportunity. The best example of that in this match came early in the second half, when 19-year-old Ousmane Dembele went on a delightful, mazy run through Real Madrid’s defense, but never picked his head up to find a teammate. So when Real’s defense collapsed on him when he set up for a shot, it wasn’t surprising to see him shoot wide.

With a little more maturity and patience, Dembele would have checked to see where his teammates were and seen Andre Schurrle making a run to the far post that was almost unmarked, and when Raphael Varane stepped in to close on Dembele, he had a wide-open passing lane to give his teammate a tap-in to equalize. Instead, he kept his head down and went for it himself, wasting the chance and leaving Dortmund fans shaking their heads in frustration.